Program Assistant (Non-Profit) jobs in Pennsylvania

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Spring 2024

The mission of Healthy Start is to improve maternal and child health and to reduce poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in Allegheny County.

Purpose:

This is an intermediate-level public health position, supporting the Research Manager on projects and initiatives that contribute to advancing Healthy Start’s mission. As part of the Healthy Start multidisciplinary team, the Research Assistant (RA) has a passion for maternal and child health and advances family systems and life course approaches to support improved birth outcomes, and family and community health and well-being. The RA has a focus on health equity, using evidence-based practice, supporting Healthy Start’s unique contributions to the field of maternal and child health, eradicating disparities faced by members of the Black community, and will work with internal and external stakeholders to serve the Healthy Start participant population and the community at large.

Overview:

As an intermediate-level public health practitioner, the RA will work on a variety of research projects involving local, regional, and national partners to explore the intersections of health equity, maternal and child health and chronic disease. The RA will help to develop, manage, and execute research plans and strategies including but not limited to helping to design new studies for research and evaluation.

Responsibilities will include:

· Support the development of Healthy Start research processes and protocols.

· Supporting Healthy Start's research project portfolio, including project status, timelines, and resource allocations.

· Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to determine the appropriate strategies, methodologies, and approaches in the study design process.

· Coordinate research activities including data collection, entry, cleaning, quality checks, management, and analysis—including via surveys, focus groups and interviews.

· Review relevant literature (e.g., peer-review manuscripts, published reports and grey literature).

· Develop research protocols, tools, interview guides and surveys for data collection.

· Develop research dissemination plans including written reports/publications and oral presentations.

· Develop relevant content for grant submissions.

· Support community-based public health research activities as needed, including gap analyses, asset mapping, interpreting best practice for translation of scientific data for community use and providing information/resources to families who are or may be impacted.

· Data and project reporting.

· Presenting and conferences and forums.

· Maintain working knowledge at the intersection of public health, health equity and maternal and child health and assist in identifying research gaps and needs for the overall organization.

· Complete all human subjects training and coordinate submission of reviews by Institutional Review Boards.

Qualifications of Position:

· Advanced training in the field of public health.

· Working knowledge of research methods, data analysis, evaluation, community participatory activities, translational science, and advanced writing skills.

· Working knowledge of local and national organizations focused on Black women’s health, health

equity, birth equity and reproductive justice; lived experience is a plus.

· Demonstrated success managing public health initiatives.

· Strong oral, written and technical communication skills.

· Knowledge of prevention strategies, need and risk assessments, and family systems.

· Understanding of community and service delivery systems.

· Demonstrated good decision making in dealing with safety issues.

· Ability to plan and facilitate group sessions.

· Ability to motivate and guide participants to keep appointments, obtain goals and take advantage of services.

· Ability to work with multi-cultural participants/agencies.

· Ability to work with computer software applications, i.e., word processing, data base and spreadsheets.

· Maintain an absolute commitment to protecting the confidentiality of employee and agency information handled daily.

Other:

o COVID vaccination

o Act 33/34 clearances are required.

o Must possess reliable transportation.

Supervisory Relationship:

This position works under the Research Manager and may report to the Director of Strategic Initiatives for some project specific work.

Compensation:

The salary for this position is commensurate with experience. $39-45k. This is an exempt position.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Referral program
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person